7 U.S. Code § 1282 - Declaration of policy

It is declared to be the policy of Congress to continue the Soil Conservation and Domestic Allotment Act, as amended [16 U.S.C. 590a et seq.], for the purpose of conserving national resources, preventing the wasteful use of soil fertility, and of preserving, maintaining, and rebuilding the farm and ranch land resources in the national public interest; to accomplish these purposes through the encouragement of soil-building and soil-conserving crops and practices; to assist in the marketing of agricultural commodities for domestic consumption and for export; and to regulate interstate and foreign commerce in cotton, wheat, corn, and rice to the extent necessary to provide an orderly, adequate, and balanced flow of such commodities in interstate and foreign commerce through storage of reserve supplies, loans, marketing quotas, assisting farmers to obtain insofar as practicable, parity prices for such commodities and parity of income, and assisting consumers to obtain an adequate and steady supply of such commodities at fair prices.

The Soil Conservation and Domestic Allotment Act, as amended, referred to in text, is act Apr. 27, 1935, ch. 85, 49 Stat. 163, as amended, which is classified generally to chapter 3B (§ 590a et seq.) of Title 16, Conservation. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see section 590q of Title 16 and Tables.

Functions of Soil Conservation Service in Department of Agriculture with respect to soil and moisture conservation operations conducted on lands under jurisdiction of Department of the Interior transferred to Department of the Interior, to be administered under direction and supervision of Secretary of the Interior through such agency or agencies in Department of the Interior as Secretary shall designate, by 1940 Reorg. Plan No. IV, § 6, eff. June 30, 1940, set out in the Appendix to Title 5, Government Organization and Employees. See, also, sections 13 to 15 of said plan for provisions relating to transfer of functions of department heads, records, property, personnel, and funds.

“In order more fully and effectively to improve, maintain, and protect the prices and incomes of farmers, to enlarge rural purchasing power, to achieve a better balance between supplies of agricultural commodities and the requirements of consumers therefor, to preserve and strengthen the structure of agriculture, and to revitalize and stabilize the overall economy at reasonable costs to the Government, it is hereby declared to be the policy of Congress to—

“(a)

afford farmers the opportunity to achieve parity of income with other economic groups by providing them with the means to develop and strengthen their bargaining power in the Nation’s economy;

“(b)

encourage a commodity-by-commodity approach in the solution of farm problems and provide the means for meeting varied and changing conditions peculiar to each commodity;

“(c)

expand foreign trade in agricultural commodities with friendly nations, as defined in section 107 of Public Law 480, 83d Congress, as amended (7 U.S.C. 1707), and in no manner either subsidize the export, sell, or make available any subsidized agricultural commodity to any nations other than such friendly nations and thus make full use of our agricultural abundance;

“(d)

utilize more effectively our agricultural productive capacity to improve the diets of the Nation’s needy persons;

“(e)

recognize the importance of the family farm as an efficient unit of production and as an economic base for towns and cities in rural areas and encourage, promote, and strengthen this form of farm enterprise;

“(f)

facilitate and improve credit services to farmers by revising, expanding, and clarifying the laws relating to agricultural credit;

“(g)

assure consumers of a continuous, adequate, and stable supply of food and fiber at fair and reasonable prices;

“(h)

reduce the cost of farm programs, by preventing the accumulation of surpluses; and

“(i)

use surplus farm commodities on hand as fully as practicable as an incentive to reduce production as may be necessary to bring supplies on hand and firm demand in balance.”

“It is hereby declared to be the policy of the Congress that the lending and purchase operations of the Department of Agriculture (other than those referred to in subsections (a), (b), and (c) hereof [subsections (a) and (b) are set out as notes under this section and subsection (c) is set out as a note under section 713a–8 of Title 15, Commerce and Trade]) shall be carried out until January 1, 1950, so as to bring the price and income of the producers of other agricultural commodities not covered by subsections (a), (b), and (c) to a fair parity relationship with the commodities included under subsections (a), (b), and (c), to the extent that funds for such operations are available after taking into account the operations with respect to the commodities covered by subsections (a), (b), and (c). In carrying out the provisions of this subsection the Secretary of Agriculture shall have the authority to require compliance with production goals and marketing regulations as a condition to eligibility of producers for price support.”

Study of Parity Income Position of Farmers; Report to Congress by June 30, 1966

Pub. L. 89–321, title VII, § 705, Nov. 3, 1965, 79 Stat. 1210, directed the Secretary of Agriculture to make a study of the parity income position of farmers, and report the results of such study to the Congress not later than June 30, 1966.

Price Stabilization During Year 1950

Act July 3, 1948, ch. 827, title I, § 1(a), (b), 62 Stat. 1247, 1248, as amended June 10, 1949, ch. 191, 63 Stat. 169, authorized the Secretary of Agriculture through any instrumentality or agency within or under the direction of the Department of Agriculture, by loans, purchases, or other operations to support prices received by producers of cotton, wheat, corn, tobacco, rice, and peanuts marketed before June 30, 1950 (Sept. 30, 1950, in the case of Maryland and the cigar-leaf types of tobacco), if producers had not disapproved marketing quotas for such commodity for the marketing year beginning in the calendar year in which the crop is harvested.

Act July 3, 1948, ch. 827, title I, § 2, 62 Stat. 1248, authorized the Secretary, from any funds available to the Department of Agriculture or any agency operating under its direction for price support operations or for the disposal of agricultural commodities, to use such sums as may be necessary to carry out the provisions of section 1 of the Act (enacting provisions set out as notes under this section and amending provisions set out as a note under section 713a–8 of this title).